Staff and pupils are celebrating after OFSTED judged The Rowans to be an outstanding school.  The leadership and staff at The Rowans are dedicated to improving the life chances of the young people of Medway.  All of the pupils at The Rowans have been permanently excluded from their mainstream schools and The Rowans is for many their last chance of accessing education.

The Rowans, which was formerly part of Silverbank Park, has made a significant jump from the serious weakness category to outstanding.  The school, which has 52 pupils aged 11-16 with additional educational needs or behavioural issues, was inspected over two days in February. It was judged in the four areas of achievement of pupils, quality of teaching, behaviour and safety of pupils, and leadership and management and received an outstanding judgment in all of these areas.

The report praises the “outstanding leadership of the headteacher and the senior team which has brought about significant, rapid and sustained improvement since the last inspection”. “The partnership between the headteacher and her deputy is the driving force behind the improvement in the school. Their rigour and high expectations ensure that the school provides an outstanding education where students flourish. Staff, students and the management committee share their vision for the school”


Caron Johnson, Headteacher of The Rowans was delighted with the inspection resultsaying: "We are all absolutely thrilled with the outstanding judgement. I feel privileged to work with such a dedicated and caring team, and am delighted that their hard work, alongside that of the pupils, has been given such strong recognition”

The inspectors found students’ achievement to be outstanding. “They make excellent progress and, for many of them, it is the first time that they have experienced success in education” “Students make outstanding progress in English, particularly in reading, and in mathematics.”

The report states, that “ most students join the school with a history of poor behaviour. They settle quickly. As a result, students’ behaviour in lessons and around school improves rapidly. 
Students have excellent attitudes to learning. They are highly focused on improving their grades. Staff are patient and continue to encourage them if they are finding something particularly difficult. “

Progress and achievement levels for students at the school “are much better than that in similar schools.  The most able students are expected to aim high and are set challenging targets. They are currently on track to achieve the five GCSE passes at grade C or better, including English and mathematics. This allows them to move on to higher-level qualifications when they leave the school. 


Miss Johnson finished by saying that there was so much more that her team wanted to achieve. In comparison to similar schools The Rowans has a broad and balanced curriculum with many extra curricular activities including sports clubs, science, technology and engineering plus many more.  “Our shared vision is to continue to provide a first class education for the young people of Medway whilst continuing to look for ways in which it can grow and improve.  We have so much more that we want to achieve, and we will work tirelessly to ensure that our young people are challenged to be the best that they can be”.

You can find a full copy of the published Ofsted report below.